What are these? my pond is infested with them

[taniaaust1]

I set up my pond a few months ago, its becoming like a wildlife park (I dont know if that is a good thing or not). I just discovered the bottom of it is infested with some kind of big nymph (1 inch in size). Could these hurt frogs or tabpoles? (they are twice the size of my new baby frogs) or will the frogs end up eatting them when they get bigger? The bigger ones of these look like they are developing wings.

Interestingly obviously the mosquito fish in the pond have left these alone to develop in the pond. (yeah I know I shouldnt have mosquito fish in a frog pond but I didnt know that when I put them in when I first set up my pond, novice mistake I need to correct).

Anyway.. can anyone please tell me what these are and answer my questions about if these could hurt frogs?

[Heatheranne]

Hello. I am not sure what the insect is. Although, there are tons of bacteria, larvae and possible parasites in wild pond water. I would actually recommend you start over. Empty out the tank and then add a 10% bleach to water solution and let it sit at least 10 minutes, though I myself would let it sit all night. Rinse thoroughly. Then fill it up again will about 4x the amount of water dechlorinator in water and let it soak again to neutralize all chlorine and chloramines. Rinse again. Then begin setting up your new tank.

Pond plants must also be thoroughly rinsed, bleach dipped (10% bleach), extra dechlorinator dipped, and rinsed again. Same with any wood or rocks used.

This is the safest way .

[taniaaust1]

Hello. I am not sure what the insect is. Although, there are tons of bacteria, larvae and possible parasites in wild pond water. I would actually recommend you start over. Empty out the tank and then add a 10% bleach to water solution and let it sit at least 10 minutes, though I myself would let it sit all night. Rinse thoroughly. Then fill it up again will about 4x the amount of water dechlorinator in water and let it soak again to neutralize all chlorine and chloramines. Rinse again. Then begin setting up your new tank.

Pond plants must also be thoroughly rinsed, bleach dipped (10% bleach), extra dechlorinator dipped, and rinsed again. Same with any wood or rocks used.

This is the safest way .

Hi thanks.

Its not a tank its an outdoor pond with water lillies etc etc. If I tried to start all over again (it would kind of suck as I'd have to start all over again to wait for 6mths to be up before I can add the flesh water mussels I want to add to the pond (which will naturally filter stuff on the bottom). Also the bleach dip, would that work for the large plants in my pond which are in pots of soil/sand/clay? kill anything in the soil of the pots too?

If they are flying insects as they look like they may of come from (Im sure they are developing wings) wouldnt more just end up in my pond when whatever it is flies this way and lays eggs again? (unless they did come with some pond plants but I dont know for sure if that was the case at all). I got the plants fairly locally, so I assume those flying things could come back even if they did come by eggs in the plants.

The job to empty the pond is a bigger job then I could do myself and I'd have to pay someone to come in and do it if that does need to be done.. hence I need to find out if its necessary at this point or not.

The pond is only just after months starting to build up beneficial beetles and stuff in the pond which I know are okay for frogs (if I get someone to clean out the pond.. I guess I'd also loose all those other things too who may of layed eggs in there?). My frogs are outdoors and ones I want able to look after themselves out there and not reliant on me to feed them at all so reliant on that pond and what is there for their food (only 2 of the tabpoles have just turned to frogs, others are about to). Ive heard it actually takes 12months to properly establish a pond with its beneficals etc and a full clean out will have that all start again.

The pond is in a paved courtyard area so there isnt a lot of plant stuff to attract insects around it there (just the courtyard, the pond which is in ground, pond is quite deep and a very small patch of ground with a few plants (most of my plants are in the pond.. till I build a small marsh in a double handwidth wide space area next to the concrete path). Hence another reason Im relunctant to have it drained at this point, worried it may cut down food sources for what I want to be wild frogs.

Ive learnt my lesson thou about not sterilising things before they are put into the pond. thanks. I wont be putting anything from stream into the pond again without doing that.

[Heatheranne]

Oh goodness, I misunderstood. An outdoor pond is a different story. Mature will eventually move in.

For outdoor pond plants bought at a greenhouse, you just have to find out if they used pesticides or unsafe fertilizers. If so, give them a good rinse down.

So, you have frogs now? Or will be attracting local species?

[Bombina Bob]

looks like a dragonfly larvae. I have seen these guys around my area.

[taniaaust1]

Oh goodness, I misunderstood. An outdoor pond is a different story. Mature will eventually move in.

For outdoor pond plants bought at a greenhouse, you just have to find out if they used pesticides or unsafe fertilizers. If so, give them a good rinse down.

So, you have frogs now? Or will be attracting local species?

Yes. I have one marsh frog now and one marsh froglet and quite a few mash tapoles (two sorts) with backlegs from the tabpoles I'd brought at start of the year. I think? I saw thou possibly a big frog in my pond thou only got a brief glimpse out corner of my eye so wasnt quite sure what I'd seen swim under a plant so still dont know (if it was a mature frog and laid eggs underwater somewhere, I guess the mosquito fish would of ate them).

My first frog, I saw him eat an insect today (first time I'd seen him do that so it was exciting (pity he's not interested thou in eatting ants, around the outside of the pond is infested with them so Ive been worried if the ants could kill baby frogs), he's only just got rid of his tail. Maybe dragonfly larvae eat ants??? those are always falling into the pond.

[Tongue Flicker]

Looks like a 'normal' pond bug to me. As long as it doesn't parasitize other pond inhabitants just leave it be. Free food for your frog as well

[FrogRN]

This is a dragonfly. They will eat anything that is small enough to be overpowered. Some of the species her in Texas get large enough to at frogs.

[taniaaust1]

thank you everyone for the replies and answering my question.

[taniaaust1]

Ive been thinking about the 1 inch long dragonfly larvae all over the pond, not wanting to get rid of pond wildlife additions but at the same time wondering what these are going to keep eatting, thou I only have 2 tabpoles a third of their size so could be at risk of them (rest of my tabpoles are around same size of the dragonfly things so I dont think are probably at risk). Apparently the dragonfly larvae can eat each other, so maybe that is what they've been doing as they grow.

I started wondering today that maybe they are eatting all the ants which are always falling into the pond (Lots of ants, I have about 50 fall in every time I water the plants around it each day).

Well they have more food now as today my mosquito fish now have had babies!! (they give birth to live babies). So now I have tiny fish throu the pond too. Hopefully dragonflies pupea will eat all those while they are still developing and then both the baby mossie fish and the dragonfly gone leaving just 7? adult mosquito fish for me to get rid of.

The pond I find interesting.. I seem to be so often discovering something new in there eg a few days ago.. dung beatle things moved in and now are inhabiting the dry area in my pond. These beatles are interesting.. ants attacked one.. he ended up falling off the log and into the water and then seemed to decide after ants were biting him while he was floating.. to go under water, under a plant stem to knock the ants off his back. coincidence? or can beatles be smart? and actually go and plan how to fix their situations? (the bugs arent swimming water bugs but ones you'd expect to drown in the water, flouldering whenever they fall in.. but it really looked like it had thought out of options and chose to go under the water and plant stem to get rid of the ants on back after he fell in, he actually seemed to try to dive).

My baby frogs aint liking those ants either.. the ants bite them every now and then making frog move and sometimes jump into the water. Im really wondering how frogs would do if they get out of the pond properly where there is far more ants. Hopefully dragonfly larvae are eatting some ants. I thought I smelt something dead a few days ago.. wondering if it could of been a frog the ants got.

I have 3 unaccounted for tabpoles out of the 12 I brought, thou a couple of those 3 could of happily changed to frogs and left the pond as they were nearly frogs, my first to develop and then I didnt notice them again. The two frogs I have right now arent those first ones which I saw develop. Anyway... I do think I may of lost 1 tabpole in the past few months and I guess things arent going that badly with all the unexpected surprises Im getting.

(Im trying hard to get rid of the ant issue right now).

[anneke]

Looks like a stonefly larva to me. As you're in Australia, wouldn't have a clue as to species / family - I'm in Ireland.
Identification and Ecology of Australian Freshwater Invertebrates

[JeffreH]

This is not a stonefly, it is an Odonate (Dragonfly) as previously mentioned by Ryan. Note that stonefly larvae always have obvious cerci present and this specimen does not.

Specifically, this dragonfly nymph is probably in the family Libellulidae or Corduliidae (not Gomphidae as I initially thought).

[deranged chipmunk]

This is not a stonefly, it is an Odonate (Dragonfly) as previously mentioned by Ryan. Note that stonefly larvae always have obvious cerci present and this specimen does not.

Specifically, this dragonfly nymph is in the family Gomphidae.

Ahh!! How could I have missed the cerci? Lol

In swoops the bug guy for the win!!

[JeffreH]

So I actually jumped the gun based on an overconfident Gestalt having seen a few Gomphid nymphs. Upon further inspection of the characters, this is not Gomphidae.

This is probably a Libellulidae or Corduliidae, early instar larva. That's as far as your probably going to get with the quality of the picture and with this being such an early instar larva.

Common Aquatic Larvae/Nymphs/Naiads:

Plecoptera (Stonefly)


Odonata: Zygoptera (Damselfly)


Odonata: Anisoptera (Dragonfly)


Trichoptera (Caddisfly)

Ephemeroptera (Mayfly)


*All images via Google Image search that group.

[Ted]

I'm an experienced fly fisherman and without doubt that is a dragonfly nymph,,a smaller one like a darning needle,,,the big ones,,perch bugs,,are particularly nasty...